


The Jacket

by incognitostarkbaratheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: A bit scary, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dark Magic, F/M, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incognitostarkbaratheon/pseuds/incognitostarkbaratheon
Summary: When musician Gendry Waters finds a jacket that belonged to his late idol, Davos Seaworth, he buys it in a heartbeat. Soon, strange things start happening and it gets ugly pretty quickly. Gendry, his girlfriend, photographer Arya Stark and their wolf Nymeria find themselves in the middle of a battle against something they don't know how to defeat.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 40
Kudos: 51





	1. Strange Happenings

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by the book "Heart-Shaped Box" by wonderful author Joe Hill. I think I managed to adapt it to fit Gendrya while still keeping the essence of the story with fewer of the more delicate topics the book deals with.
> 
> I hope you like it!

Gendry opened the window of his home studio after finishing with his guitar. The sound of Nymeria’s happy barks and Arya’s laughter while playing in the garden filled the room. Gendry took a moment to look at his girls, he loved seeing them happy. The temptation of going out to play with them almost gets him, but he had to go check if there was something needing his attention before being done for the day.

He walked to the front of the house and opened the inner door of the office where Ben, his assistant, handled all the stuff his manager didn’t take care of. House bills, private mail, fan mail coming from the managing office and other similar things Gendry knew had to be dealt with but often forgot about. Gendry liked Ben; he kept him up to date and knew the meaning of the word privacy, which was incredibly important to Gendry.

“Hey boss.” Ben raised his eyes from the computer in front of him while Gendry entered the room.

“Hi Ben, please tell me there’s nothing urgent today.”

“Not urgent boss, but I got a notification from one of those auction sites. You might be interested on this one.”

“What is it?” Gendry walked around Ben’s desk to see the screen.

The images immediately put a smile on his face. The first one showed an old but still good looking leather jacket against a white background. The second showed Davos Seaworth, his favourite artist and basically his inspiration to become a musician himself, wearing the same jacket while playing on stage. The information described it as original with a certificate of authenticity included.

“Wow!” Gendry exclaimed. “After he died his family sold a bunch of his stuff, but of course at the time I was just a 14 years old without a single penny to my name.”

“I knew you would like it, boss.”

Gendry nodded, his eyes still staring at the pictures.

“Should I place a…?”

“Buy it,” Gendry interrupted, “Offer a good amount to stop the auction, I want it.” His voice sounded determined.

“Yes, boss.”

Gendry tapped the desk, then walked to the outer door in the other side of the room, added a few years before so Ellen, the early riser assistant he had at the time could have access to the office without going through the house or waking Gendry up.

“Good call, Ben.” And with that, Gendry disappeared behind the door to go to Arya and Nymeria.

-/-/-

The following week, Gendry was working on some lyrics in the living room’s couch with Nymeria curled next to him. Arya was still out on the photo-shoot she had scheduled that day and he wasn’t expecting her back for at least another hour.

Ben came out of the office to leave a package on the kitchen’s table but saw Gendry on the couch and took it to him instead.

“Your Jacket arrived, boss.”

“Oh, great!” Gendry stood up, leaving his notepad and pencil behind to take the box. “Thank you, Ben.”

“I’m going home, do you need something else?”

“No, go get some rest.”

Ben nodded and returned to the office to leave.

Gendry went to get a knife to the kitchen to cut the familiar tape with the logo of the delivery service. Inside the brown cardboard box there was a second plain white box containing the jacket wrapped in a sheet of red paper.

Gendry was so focused on getting the jacket out he didn’t notice Nymeria sniffing suspiciously while moving on his direction. When he heard a low growl next to him he jumped, the wolf was staring at the jacket on Gendry’s hands with a menacing expression, he wasn’t expecting that reaction from Nymeria.

“What’s wrong, girl? It’s just a jacket.” The wolf kept growling. “Maybe it does smell funny. I’ll put it back in the box, OK?”

Gendry wrapped it and put it in the box again, then pushed it to the centre of the kitchen isle. Nymeria finally calmed down but was still staring at the box.

“Come on, do you want a treat?”

Gendry walked to the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen to take a jar and offer a piece of the content to Nymeria. The wolf looked at him for a moment but returned her attention back to the box. Gendry raised an eyebrow; Nymeria didn’t reject a treat easily.

“OK, as you wish.”

He took the treat with him back to the living room and left it on the arm of the couch, sitting next to it to look at his notepad again. It took Nymeria 10 whole minutes to move from where she was standing to go take the treat and sit at Gendry’s feet, looking at the kitchen.

-/-/-

The lyrics Gendry was working on were almost finished when Arya arrived. Nymeria stood up to greet her as soon as she walked through the door. As usual, he had to wait until the wolf said ‘hello’ to be able to kiss his girlfriend.

“The jacket arrived.”

“Good, let’s see how it fits.” Arya was already savouring how good it would look on Gendry.

“Nymeria doesn’t seem to like it, you might want to hold her if you want me to wear it.”

“What?” Arya asked intrigued.

“I don’t know, you’ll see.”

As soon as the jacket was out again, the growling returned. Arya gave Nymeria a puzzled look, then raised her eyes to see Gendry, he only gestured ‘I don’t know’ with his hands.

Arya put her arms around the wolf’s neck and Gendry stepped back to start putting the jacket on. Before he could even pass his arms through the sleeves, Nymeria pulled to attack. If Arya hadn’t been there to hold her, she would have jumped on Gendry.

“Nymeria stop!” Arya exclaimed. “It’s just Gendry, don’t do that.”

Gendry took the jacket off immediately and left it on the table. “I think it’s the smell, maybe she is picking up something we can’t.”

Once Nymeria calmed down Arya approached to smell it. “Yeah, it smells weird. You will have to send it to the cleaners.”

“Maybe it’s something inside of it,” Gendry suggested, “The jacket is not exactly new.”

Arya opened the jacket, trying to locate the smell. It looked clean and except for a small patch of very similar fabric on the lining of one the sides, also was in pretty good condition. She traced the lining with her fingers, trying to feel if there was indeed something inside until she reached the patch.

“Could be… Auch!” Arya quickly retrieved her hand to look at her finger. “There’s something sharp in there.”

Gendry carefully moved the fabric to check it, there was a needle partially hidden in the bottom part of the patch. He took it out and showed to Arya.

Arya looked up at the needle and shook her head. “Well, whoever made the repair was not paying attention.” Nymeria was making noises again by then and Arya sighed. “Nymeria, please.”

“I’ll take it to the guest room; maybe leaving the window open will help.”

Gendry carried the jacket upstairs to hang it in the closet door and opened the nearest window, hoping that will make the smell disappear. He then closed the door behind him so Nymeria couldn’t come in.

When he came back downstairs, he saw the behind of the wolf coming out of the bathroom. “Everything alright?” Gendry asked, peeking inside.

Arya was putting the bottle of alcohol back in the cabinet after cleaning her finger. “Yep, just in case.” She turned to take Gendry’s face between her hands. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine once it’s clean. You will look good on it,” and in a lower tone, “And I will enjoy taking it off.”

“Can’t wait,” Gendry replied, kissing Arya while Nymeria watched them, smiling.

-/-/-

Weird stuff started happening almost immediately. Things seemed to be out of place all the time, a book on the living room’s floor or a mug inside a drawer in the office; it was almost funny at first. They thought it was going to stop when Ben took the jacket to the cleaners but it didn’t, Gendry even considered Davos Seaworth’s ghost was haunting them.

However, as the days passed, the occurrences escalated. Arya couldn’t find her best camera on time for an appointment to take the promotional pictures of an unplugged session. She had to leave with a different one and Gendry had to search for the better part of an hour to find the camera inside the oven. Arya was, to say it politely, not amused.

-/-/-

The next day, Gendry asked Ben to contact the auction website and find out who the seller of the jacket was. Ben emailed them but it came back with one of those automatic ‘This address doesn’t exist’ messages. He called the number listed at the end of the confirmation email he received when he paid for the jacket, the number turned out to be disconnected. Ben then tried to search some other way of contact on the website, which of course was not online anymore.

“So we’re still in square one.” Gendry was clutching Arya’s hand, trying to control his irritation.

“Sorry boss, but maybe...” Ben’s expression changed suddenly, he seemed to be remembering something. “Before you I worked for a man who was very into Star Trek, he was a collector and I was often in contact with this other guy, Greg. His job was to find collectables, movies, music, even theatre, he was very well connected. Maybe he could find something.”

Arya looked at Gendry. “It’s worth the shot.”

Gendry briefly returned the look. “Yeah, call him. And tell him is urgent.”

“Yes, boss.”

-/-/-

“Maybe we should get rid of it.”

They had been sitting on the couch for a while, watching a movie without really paying attention. Gendry had been quiet the entire day, which was normal with everyone else but not with Arya. When Gendry spoke, she raised her head from his shoulder to look at him.

“Do you think that would help?”

“Honestly, no. Things were happening even when Ben took the jacket away to get it cleaned. I just don’t know what else to do. This whole situation was amusing at first, but finding your camera in the oven… I keep thinking what would have happened if we had turned it on without knowing the camera was there. That was plain dangerous.” Gendry sighed before continuing. “But… If I do something to the jacket and that thing gets stuck in the house because of it… I don’t know. What do you think?”

Arya thought about it before answering. “Well, both things make sense and the oven incident was indeed dangerous. I say we wait just until Ben’s contact calls back, he might find something useful. But if you really want to get rid of it now, I’m also on board.”

Gendry took his time, considering the situation. “Let’s wait, but if nothing comes out of it I’ll burn the jacket myself.” The determination on Gendry’s voice worried Arya a little bit, but she couldn’t really blame him.

-/-/-

It was the middle of the night and Gendry was half asleep. He woke up feeling thirsty and without giving it too much thought he went downstairs to get some water. He turned the kitchen light on and froze. The man was right in front of him, sitting in one of the stools of the kitchen isle, staring at Gendry without moving.

He was wearing a ghostly version of the jacket, which was way too big for him. This man was slim, almost too slim and his eyes were empty, like the sockets in a skull, devoid of all emotion. His skin was so pale and his face so thin Gendry struggled to distinguish any features. Still, he didn’t think he knew this man.

Gendry blinked a few times, trying to recover enough to say something to this person, to this ghost. The man flickered and disappeared before Gendry could do anything else, leaving him breathing heavily and alone in the empty kitchen.

He ventured a couple of steps ahead, looking around him. The man was gone.

Gendry took a glass, poured some water as fast as he could and almost ran upstairs. He didn’t feel safe until he closed the door of their room behind him and saw Arya sleeping peacefully in her side of the bed. He drank half of the water, left the glass on the side table and got under the blankets, holding Arya close to him.

-/-/-

Arya listened to everything Gendry had to say about the previous night while they were having breakfast, but after going around the topic for a while she reached to the same conclusions Gendry had. It was definitely not Davos Seaworth’s ghost and he was indeed linked to the jacket. In the end they were in the same place, they didn’t know who the man was.

By noon Gendry was in the garage entrance working on his car, trying not to think about the ghostly figure. He was finally achieving some progress when he heard a loud noise coming from the front of the house.

He stood up, immediately going into alert mode. Another noise, something had fallen in the office, Gendry was pretty sure about it. He was approaching when Ben rushed out, slamming the door behind him.

In a few seconds Ben was outside his car, shaking like a leaf while trying to get his keys out of his pocket. He didn’t realise he had the letter opener in his other hand until he raised it to open the door. Ben looked at the knife for a second as if it had been an alien, then dropped it on the gravel.

Gendry was just a couple of steps behind him, but Ben didn’t seem to notice. “Ben.” He didn’t react. “Ben!” Gendry moved to Ben’s side to see his face.

“Boss.” Ben looked up and answered, even his voice was trembling.

“Ben, what is going on?”

“I’m sorry boss, I have to go.” He finally managed to get inside his car. “I’m not coming back, boss. I’m really sorry.” Ben started the car on the second try and took the remote he carried in his car to open the gate. “It was my fault boss, I found that damn jacket, I’m so sorry.” He offered the remote to Gendry.

Gendry took the chance to grab Ben’s arm before he could drive away. “Ben, wait! What happened?”

Ben shook his head while freeing his arm from Gendry, carefully placing the remote on his hand. “Get your girls out of this house, boss.”

And with that Ben left, he never set foot in the house again.

-/-/-

Gendry stood there looking at the open gate for a long moment until a car passing outside got him out of his trance. He closed the gate and picked up the letter opener. Whatever scared Ben was bad enough to make him flee. Gendry then looked at the office door and gulped, already dreading what he would find inside.

He opened the door and looked inside before entering. The office was a mess, as if Ben had been in a fight inside the room. One of the file cabinets was on its side, with a nasty dent bending the top drawer; the other was halfway across the room with its content all over the place. The desk was in a weird angle and the chair was somehow partially under it. The laptop was on the floor same as the phone and the stationery Ben had on the desk. The frames displaying Gendry’s gold and platinum records were all smashed on the floor; the pieces of broken glass were everywhere. The only thing that looked intact was the TV hanging from the wall and it was on, showing only static sounding loudly.

“What do you want?” Gendry screamed, “Come face me!”

Gendry looked all around him but nothing happened for at least half a minute. Just as he was leaning to pick up the laptop the ghostly figure appeared. This time he was closer and Gendry could clearly distinguish a mocking laugh. 

“Why are you doing this? What do you want? Tell me what you want or leave us alone!” Gendry yelled, challenging the ghost.

The man stared at Gendry. He looked amused, which made Gendry’s rage rise. He was about to scream at the ghost again when the man spoke in a deep voice, only one word.

“Die.”

Gendry didn’t have time to answer, as soon as the word was out the man flickered again and disappeared. Gendry looked at the empty space for a few seconds before kicking the file cabinet closest to his foot. The already damaged cabinet hit a wall with a dry sound and fell again in an awkward position.

-/-/-

Twenty minutes later Gendry was still picking up broken stuff and tidying up what was left. The landline survived, maybe because it was one of those old telephones made to last and the laptop was miraculously still working, which Gendry was glad about. Regardless of the ghost, there was a lot of business data on it.

Ben’s jacket was in a corner, with little pieces of glass all over it, he didn’t take it when he left. Gendry was shaking the glass off it when Arya came into the room. She was wearing her exercise clothes and still had her headphones in one hand.

The gym area in the back of the property was added after Gendry bought the house and was separate from the main structure. If Arya was there listening to music, Gendry wasn’t surprised she didn’t hear anything.

“Hey Ben, do you know when th… What the heck happened here?” Arya scanned the room with her eyes.

The room was in better condition but was still messy. “I don’t know, but Ben quit. I think that damn man attacked him.”

“Shit.” Arya paused for a moment. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, I didn’t see what he did. I only saw Ben leaving and it was all pretty quick.”

“Did he say something?” Arya approached the desk and started cleaning the records Gendry had left there.

Gendry told her everything he remembered, starting with the noises at the beginning.

“Poor Ben,” Arya said when Gendry finished.

“The worst thing is that he thinks is his fault.”

“You should call him, just to see if he is OK.”

“I will.”

They were almost done with the cleaning. Gendry was examining the dent on the file cabinet to decide if it could be fixed and when he turned around, his stomach shrunk. The man was right behind Arya, whispering something on her ear and she didn’t seem to be aware of it.

“No! Leave her alone!” Gendry snapped, grabbing Arya to pull her away from the man.

“Gendry, what the…?” Arya exclaimed, surprised at his sudden change.

The ghost sneered at Gendry and disappeared again as Nymeria’s barks started approaching. In a few seconds the wolf was next to them.

Gendry took Arya’s face between his hands. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Arya was confused about Gendry’s words. “What happened? Was he here?”

“Yeah, he was speaking on your ear, right behind you, but I couldn’t hear what he said. Did you hear anything?”

“No, nothing but you and Nymeria.”

They both turned to see the wolf, she was sniffing around the room as if there was something putrid there and looked very alert, but since the ghost was already gone, she was calm.

“Are you sure?”

Gendry looked worried, so Arya took one of his hands on hers. “I’m sure, for real.”

He hugged her tightly, hoping really hard it was for real nothing.


	2. Fighting Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the ghost’s aggression rising, Arya, Gendry and Nymeria have to face greater challenges. Danger seems to be always around the corner and they are running out of options.

_The woman was in the middle of a deep mist, yelling. She was trying to tell Gendry something but her voice sounded so far away he couldn’t understand her words. “Fin!” “Stroy!” “Fas!”_

_Gendry tried to reach her but his feet were stuck and he wasn’t able to move. He focused on her fainted voice. The few syllables he distinguished didn’t make any sense. “Fin!” “Stroy!” “Fas!”_

_Then a noise behind Gendry startled him, breaking his concentration. The world around him blurred and his mind moved._

-/-/-

A noise woke Gendry up in the middle of the night. He raised his head; the first thing he noticed was that Arya was not in the bed. Gendry moved, locating the noise. Nymeria was outside the room, barking and scratching the door.

Gendry got up and opened the door, wondering what was happening. Nymeria flew inside as fast as she could, scratching the window next. Gendry moved the curtain and immediately saw the yellowish glow. He opened the window to look down, he couldn’t see the entire driveway from their room but the brightness of the fire was unmistakable.

He allowed himself only the few seconds necessary to put on the sweatpants and t-shirt he used as ‘pyjama’ before going to bed. He slid his feet into a pair of sneakers and ran downstairs with Nymeria closely behind him.

Gendry stepped outside the house, finding the source of the glow at once. The fire was near the end of the driveway, not far from the edge of the garden grass. Arya was standing there, wearing only her sandals and one of the t-shirts she had stolen from him, just staring at the flames with the gasoline container Gendry had as a reserve in the garage at her feet.

He ran, barely aware of Nymeria’s barks and the heat growing as he got closer. “Arya!” Gendry screamed, but Arya didn’t respond, she didn’t even move.

“Arya! What are you doing?”

Gendry grabbed Arya by the waist with both arms and dragged her away from the fire. Arya didn’t resist, she just kept looking at the fire as if nothing else existed around her.

Once Arya was at a safe distance Gendry took a second to look at the flames. He knew he should take care of the fire first but Arya could walk back while he was busy and hurt herself. Now, that he couldn’t risk.

Gendry turned Arya around so she faced him instead of the flames, then grabbed her by the arms. “Arya!” She didn’t react. “No, no, no, no, no.” Gendry could feel the fear building inside his chest.

He started shaking Arya while yelling straight to her face “Arya!!!”

She took a deep breath, snapping out of the trance. “Gendry? What am I doing here?” Arya looked around her, confused and scared.

Gendry caressed her cheek for a brief moment, catching his breath and feeling the overwhelming relief of seeing her awake. “We’ll talk later; right now I have to take care of that fire.”

Arya’s eyes widened when Gendry signalled the fire and while Gendry ran back to take the gasoline container away, she felt Nymeria licking her hand. Arya stroked the wolf’s head to calm herself down, regaining her ability to think straight.

“We need the hose,” Arya said when Gendry came back to her.

“No, water will make it worse. Wait here.” He knew Nymeria will keep her safe.

Gendry ran to the garage, took the fire extinguisher he had for emergencies and ran back to approach the fire. Once he was close enough to use it he broke the safety tie, pulled the pin to be able to discharge and quickly tested the extinguisher before aiming the hose to the base of the fire, preparing to squeeze the handle.

The carbon dioxide came out and Gendry distributed it over the base until he completely covered it. Then he stepped back, watching how the gas dispersed, the fire was gone.

Gendry had never been ashamed of his days as a mechanic, back when he was still learning the skills he would need to be a musician, but right at that moment he felt nothing but gratitude because his then boss made him learn how to use the extinguisher.

He gulped before turning his head to see Arya, she was looking at the place where the fire had been. Her face still showed confusion but the absent expression was no longer there and Gendry allowed his muscles to relax.

“Come,” Gendry called her.

Arya walked to him, he immediately put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her head, feeling her arm hugging his waist.

They looked at the remains; the fire had almost completely consumed the jacket. What was left was scorched, even the gravel looked darker.

“Gendry, I don’t know why I did this. I…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gendry interrupted, “We were going to get rid of it anyway. The only thing I care about is making sure you are OK.”

“I am now, thanks to you.”

Gendry kissed her head again. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

They walked to the house; Gendry left the empty extinguisher outside the door before closing it behind Nymeria.

-/-/-

Arya didn’t want to go to sleep anymore so Gendry took her to sit on the couch, then insisted on checking her feet. The soles of her sandals had started to melt but not enough to reach Arya’s feet. Gendry felt more relaxed after making sure.

Gendry sat on the table in front of Arya and took her hands. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable but he needed to know. “Can I ask if you remember anything?”

Arya looked at him for a long moment, Gendry thought she wasn’t going to answer and was about to say something, but then she did.

“I remember waking up; my finger was itching like crazy.” She raised her hand, showing Gendry the finger stung by the needle.

“Let me see.” There was a red point, other than that her finger looked fine. Gendry squeezed to apply a bit of pressure. “Hurts?”

“No, and it’s not itchy anymore.”

Gendry nodded, taking Arya’s hand in his again. “Anything else?”

“I felt dizzy; I closed my eyes hoping it would pass. The next thing I remember is being outside with you holding my arms. I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything else.”

“Don’t apologise, this is not your fault.”

“It's not your fault neither. I don’t think this is random bad luck. Someone did this on purpose.”

“Yeah, that crossed my mind. I just wish I knew who and why?”

They held hands, thinking about the idea but not really wanting to speak about it until Gendry broke the silence.

“Well, if we’re not sleeping anymore, how does a cup of coffee sounds like?”

“Sounds magnificent.”

“I’ll prepare some.”

-/-/-

Arya was glad she didn’t have an appointment or work to deliver, she was tired, both were. Apart from showering and changing clothes to get rid of the smell of smoke, they didn’t plan to do much that day.

They were eating a late lunch when Gendry’s personal mobile rang, which was already uncommon. Few people had that number and Gendry wasn’t expecting any calls. He looked at the screen, it was an unknown number.

He considered leaving it ring, fearing it would be one of those crazy and incredibly skilled fans that manage to get private numbers to stalk people. However, with the office still empty, he decided to risk it and answered after the third ring.

“Hello?” Gendry said in a cautious voice.

“Hello, Mr Waters?” A deep voice asked.

“Yes, who is this?” He was trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Greg Nacht speaking, Ben hired me to find some information about a jacket that originally belonged to Davos Seaworth. I spoke with Ben and he told me he is no longer working for you. He took the liberty to give me your personal number because it was still important you received the results. I hope you don’t mind me calling you.”

Under normal circumstances Gendry would have minded, but these were not normal circumstances. He activated the speaker so Arya could hear as well.

“Not at all, Mr Nacht. What did you find?”

“The website is a dead end, there’s no record of its existence anywhere. The phone number Ben provided me has been disconnected for years and the bank account was untraceable. But I don’t think that’s exactly news for you.”

“Not really.”

“Well, I tried going earlier. The previous owner was a man named Blaine Tower. He bought the jacket directly from the Seaworth family years ago and he died 6 months ago, a stroke. I spoke with his wife, she told me Mr Tower sold the jacket shortly before his death and if there was any kind of paperwork, she never found it. She already went through her husband’s papers.”

“Right,” Gendry replied, feeling disappointed. “Is that all?”

“I’m afraid so. I can carry on if you want me to but I’m going to be honest with you. Without any kind of information it might take a while and I can’t actually guarantee any results.”

Gendry looked at Arya but she only moved her shoulders and gave him an ‘It’s your call’ expression. He thought for a moment, those things could take weeks or even months and they didn’t have that kind of time.

“That won’t be necessary, just one more thing. How’s Ben?”

“He didn’t sound as his normal cheerful self but he is fine.”

“Good. Thank you, Mr Nacht.” Gendry wanted to speak with Ben but that would have to wait.

Once the call was over, they looked at each other, both feeling hopeless.

“Now what?” Arya was the one saying what they were thinking.

“I don’t know.”

-/-/-

_Gendry found himself in the middle of the mist for the second time. The woman was closer this time but it was still difficult to understand her words. Gendry tried to focus as best as he could. “Find!” “Ok!” “Stroy!” “The” “Ink!” “Fast!” Nothing solid yet, but he could distinguish a few words now._

_Then the mist opened for a moment and Gendry was able to see her face, recognising her at once. She looked dirty, pale and had blood on the side of her head but it was her. He could recognise those eyes everywhere._

_He mouthed her name right before something grabbing his feet made him go back._

-/-/-

Gendry opened his eyes; the weight of Nymeria’s front paws was on his feet. She had been allowed to stay in their room after the fire incident the previous night and now she was in alert mode, looking at the door with her ears raised to hear what was happening outside.

The noises seemed to be coming from everywhere but their room and were getting stronger. Gendry moved his legs to free them and be able to sit down. Arya moved as well, resting her hand on Gendry’s shoulder.

“What is that?” Arya asked.

“Beats me. I’ll go see, stay here.”

“Stay here my ass, we’re going with you.”

Gendry opened his mouth to argue but this was definitely a good moment to do that. Instead he got out of bed to put his ‘pyjama’ on. A minute later the three of them were going downstairs.

The noises were actually some kind of ritual music. Drums mixed with chants in a strange language neither of them could understand and it was coming out of every TV and speaker in the house, even their laptops were emitting that disturbing music. Nymeria started howling as the beating became overwhelming, both Arya and Gendry reacted at the same time.

They rushed around the house, disconnecting everything. The laptops didn’t respond so Arya tried keeping the ‘On’ button pressed to force shutdown and exhaled when it worked. After what felt like an eternity Arya and Gendry were finally back in the living room, enjoying the silence.

Nymeria was curled in a corner, trying to shield her ears with her own body as if there was something in the music hurting her apart from the volume. Arya hugged her when Nymeria raised her head and Gendry knelt down to stroke her fur.

BANG!

The three of them jumped. Whatever it was came out of the hallway. They stood up, dreading what would come next.

The first door was the bathroom. Gendry opened it, everything looked fine. The second was a utility closet; everything was in order there as well. The third was Gendry’s studio, he opened the door and felt like a bucket of cold water had fallen on him.

His favourite guitar, the one he had worked countless hours to buy. The one he had carried since the beginning of his journey, through struggling times and successful days. The guitar he always came back to, no matter how many fancy instruments he got… His guitar had been smashed against a wall and the wood fragments were all over the floor.

Gendry knelt down to take the pieces of the instrument. Arya stared at Gendry and knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his arm. He raised his eyes and looked at her as if it had been the first time he saw her in weeks.

“I don’t understand.” He wasn’t quite whispering but his voice was far from reaching a normal tone. “Why is he doing this?”

“I don’t know.” Arya genuinely didn’t know what else to say.

Arya tried passing her arm around his shoulders, fearing Gendry might refuse to move, but as soon as he felt Arya’s hand moving he reached for her, hugging her as well.

-/-/-

“You should go.” Gendry was determined to convince her.

“I’m not in the mood for interviews,” Arya argued.

“They booked you months ago. It will do you good to get out of the house for a while. Besides, it’s good publicity for you.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“You will when all this is over. Just go, do the interview and come back. It will take you two or three hours at most.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“I will not be alone. Nymeria will keep me company, right girl?” Gendry asked to the wolf.

“Woof,” Nymeria said to agree.

Arya snorted. “OK. I’ll come back as soon as I can.” She didn’t look happy but she took her bag, her keys and didn’t protest when Gendry kissed her good bye.

Gendry watched her leave from the door feeling a bit relived. Arya had been selected, along with three other people, for a piece in Photography Westeros about photographers of the stars. He completely forgot about it until Arya mentioned it the previous night while she was checking her schedule’s notifications.

He saw a perfect opportunity to make her leave all the madness going on in the house, even if it was only for a few hours. The less time she spent near this damn ghost, the better for Gendry.

Once the car was gone Gendry closed the door and walked to the utility closet to take a bag, then stopped in front of the closed door of his studio. He sighed before opening it, anticipating the sight.

His guitar was all over the floor, just as he found it a few hours ago. Gendry hadn’t had the mental energy to pick the pieces up at that moment and allowed Arya to take him back to their room. However, the mere thought of the cleaning service not treating his guitar with respect was uncomfortable to say the least; Gendry had to do it himself.

Nymeria stepped inside after him, sniffed around for a few seconds without giving any warning signs and sat at the door, watching Gendry clean.

After finishing with the guitar, Gendry took his laptop to the kitchen’s isle and sat on a stool, scratching Nymeria’s head when she sat next to him. He was running out of options and wanted to make sure he was exploring all the available resources.

Internet was, more often than not, full of trash regarding all those supernatural things, but maybe he could find something useful, or at least he hoped so.

The two first websites were visually intimidating but indeed full of crap. The third link looked promising; it talked about different kind of manifestations like poltergeist and vengeful spirits. The page opened and… the font was pretty small.

Gendry’s eyes were not what they used to be, he could see well in most cases, but small print always made him squint. He had a pair of glasses with a very light prescription he used in such situations, which was annoying but not a burden.

Gendry walked back to his studio, where he usually left them. He searched the room, the glasses were not there. He sighed, thinking he would have to go around the house looking for a pair of glasses that were probably already broken, courtesy of their unwelcomed guest.

He looked at Nymeria as if she had the answer, then he remembered. He had taken them to the garage to read the very small specifications of the new lights he wanted to install and left them on the front seat of his car the day Ben, well… quit.

“Come on girl,” Gendry said.

They walked out of the house on their way to the garage. Gendry left the side door opened so Nymeria could come in as well, but the wolf was distracted by the honk of a car outside. It was only for a couple of seconds and that was enough.

A number of things happened in quick succession. The side door of the garage slammed itself on Nymeria’s face, the window locked itself as well and the man grabbed and dragged Gendry to the car as if he had been paper.

Gendry landed on the front seat, throwing to the floor the glasses he had come for. The car door closed violently, same as the locks. The engine started working as Gendry tried to sit up. He barely had time to register there was no key in the ignition switch before the man forced him down again.

He fought, or at least he tried to. Gendry couldn’t move his legs and his arms felt so heavy he was having a hard time raising them. The man held his neck, Gendry’s first thought was that the man was trying to choke him, but he only applied enough pressure to make Gendry gasp for air.

Then the gas started coming out of the vents, Gendry could hear it. He was still lucid enough to understand, the man was trying to poison him with carbon monoxide, he wanted to make it look like a suicide.

Gendry made an effort to keep fighting. If he didn’t get out before passing out, he was done. He twisted his hip and managed to move his torso a little bit. Gendry focused on stretching his already heavy arm so his hand could reach the lock. He could feel the door with the tips of his fingers but not high enough to get to the lock. He was starting to feel dizzy.

‘No!’ Gendry thought.

-/-/-

The door closed on Nymeria’s face, the wolf stepped back, surprised. She tried to push the door, nothing. She pushed harder, still nothing. Nymeria stood up on her back paws to try to reach the window, she could scratch the glass but she couldn’t stand in a good position to break it.

She knew that nasty thing was inside with her male human, she could smell it. Nymeria also felt her human was struggling, he needed help! She ran around to the car entrance door but it was closed as well. Nymeria charged against it with no results. She scratched it, actually making claw marks on its surface while she howled, growled and barked. She was scared and there was nothing she could do.

-/-/-

Arya opened the main gate, drove inside and immediately had to react to avoid hitting Nymeria. The wolf ran in front of the car, barking like crazy and she was alone. Arya stopped the car and got out. Nymeria was already waiting for her, still barking and repeatedly moving her head and front paws towards her left to show Arya where to go.

“Shit,” Arya muttered, looking at the garage.

She ran with Nymeria ahead of her. First, Arya went to the side door. It didn’t move, not even when she tried pushing it with her shoulder. She left the door without trying anymore to not waste time.

Arya then rushed back to the car. She had left the door opened so she only had to put a knee on the front seat to reach the remote. Arya ran back, pressing the garage button as soon as she was close enough.

The door started to rise, slowly. Arya had never felt that impatient in her entire life. They only waited until there was enough space, then scurried inside. Nymeria approached the car and started growling at once.

The engine was running and it was hot. Arya rushed to see what was happening in the car. Gendry was inside, fighting to reach the door’s lock against an invisible force, and he was losing.

Arya didn’t even try to open the door. She turned around; looking for something she could use to break the glass. There was a big hammer in the corner, only the Gods knew what Gendry used it for. Arya took it, it was heavy, she hoped it was enough.

“Nymeria, back!” Arya instructed the wolf, Nymeria seemed to understand because she moved back at once.

Arya positioned her feet firmly on the floor and swung the hammer. The head hit the middle of the back door window and bounced back, almost throwing her to the floor. Arya recovered and reassumed her position, prepared for the backlash this time. Another hit, the window vibrated but didn’t break.

“No! You’re not taking him!!!” Arya screamed, focusing all her strength on the next swing.

“The hammer hit the window again, only this time closer to one of the upper corners. The glass shattered, spreading fragments both inside and outside the car. Arya left the hammer on the floor and stretched the sleeve of her jumper to protect her hand before introducing it in the car to unlock the front door.

Arya opened the door and tried to drag Gendry’s legs, she couldn’t move him. She pulled harder, not willing to give up. Gendry was now trying to take invincible hands away from his neck.

Then Nymeria squeezed next to Arya and jumped on top of Gendry’s legs, growling furiously at the area above his head. Her ears were back and her fangs looked menacingly big.

Gendry felt the pressure on his arms and neck disappear. He tried to sit while Nymeria backed off and Arya was finally able to help Gendry out of the car and out of the garage.

They managed to reach the front of the house and Gendry sat on one of the steps of the front door. He needed fresh air before going inside.

“I’ll bring you some water.” Arya started moving but Gendry stopped her.

He spoke still breathing heavily. “No, don’t go alone. Stay with me.” Arya twisted her mouth but sat on the steps next to Gendry, watching him with worried eyes.

Nymeria had been standing between them and the garage, looking for more signs of attack. At some point she decided they were safe for now and turned around. She approached Gendry and emitted a low cry with a submissive attitude she rarely showed. Gendry stroked her head, running his fingers through her fur.

“You were so brave, girl. You saved me, you both did.” Gendry turned his head to see Arya. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Arya smiled and kissed Gendry’s temple while Nymeria rested her head on his leg so he could keep petting her.

-/-/-

After making sure Gendry was breathing properly and was not showing signs of poisoning or something else, Arya allowed him to take a nap and ended up falling asleep as well, with Nymeria worming their feet.

Arya woke up at around six that afternoon and looked at Gendry. He was breathing normally and she relaxed. She stood up and stretched before going to the other side of the room, closer to the door. Nymeria immediately raised her head, looking at Arya in a way that clearly said ‘I can’t protect you both if you leave.’

“Relax, I’m not going anywhere,” Arya said in low voice to not wake Gendry up.

She carefully opened the closet door to take out of a drawer her external hard drive, then took her laptop from the side table and sat on the bed next to Gendry, leaning on her pillow against the header of the bed.

Arya transferred her pictures often, both to keep her laptop running smoothly and to not lose her files in case of an accident. She didn't need to do it at that exact moment but she didn’t want to leave Gendry alone and if she just stayed awake on the bed, thinking about everything that was happening, she was going to go mad.

She turned on the laptop and exported the pictures of the last three photo-shoots to the hard drive. That didn’t take long, so instead of disconnecting the hard drive Arya opened it, maybe some good memories from long and not so long ago would help her relax a bit. She started scrolling until she reached the folder containing the pictures of the Crossroads Festival where she met Gendry.

Arya of course knew who he was but never imagined she would catch his attention, much less building a relationship with him. Most of the musicians she knew were decent people, just trying to make a living with their work and have a good time. But a few of them were just bad news, trying to take advantage of anything that moved.

Gendry opened up only on stage but was so hermetic with everyone and anywhere else, Arya didn’t know which category he belonged to and when he showed interest, Arya didn’t know if she should allow him to get close.

However, Gendry made sure Arya understood he wasn’t playing with her and ended up earning her trust and her love. She always felt safe with Gendry and now she didn’t know if she could keep him safe or how to protect him. The thought of losing him because of something she couldn’t even see scared her beyond words. For the first time in a long time she felt lost.

Arya finished that folder and opened a different one, trying to stop thinking about bad things.

-/-/-

_Gendry could see the woman right in front of him now, the blood staining her hair and the side of her face made Gendry feel a pinch of guilt, but her words were clearer on this visit. Gendry believed he would finally get an understandable message._

_“Find the book. Destroy the link… Fast.”_

_Gendry wanted to say something, but the mist started deepening again, swallowing her in the process and forcing Gendry to wake up._

-/-/-

Arya was still looking at the screen when Gendry woke up. She felt him move, then his hand on her leg. She turned her head to see him.

“Hey,” Gendry said with a sleepy voice.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Much better, actually. What are you doing? Keeping busy?”

“Just watching old pictures.”

Gendry sat next to her so he could see as well. “What are those from?”

“A charity event for a hospital. You probably remember, you were there.”

“Children’s hospital of the Crownlands? You were there?”

“Yep, I did commissions for a small magazine at the time, they hired me to take the pictures for their website.”

Gendry closed his eyes, trying to remember something. “Blue dress, long black boots. That’s what you were wearing that day, right? That was you.”

Arya froze for a second, she wasn’t expecting that. “Ahhh… yeah. How do you even know that?” She was genuinely puzzled.

“I saw you when I was singing, I wanted to find you after but I couldn’t get to you. Ellen, my assistant back then wasn’t there because her daughter was sick, my manager was busy and the security of the venue was not exactly the best so they didn’t let me out to the public area because it could be dangerous. By the time people had dispersed and I managed to sneak out you were gone.”

“We left not long after the show ended. We didn’t have press passes to go backstage or anything like that so there was little to do and Eddie, the reporter, always gave me a ride back home when whatever we were covering was late. You never told me you saw me that day.”

“I didn’t know it was you, I only remember this gorgeous girl on a blue dress. There were so many people taking pictures that I didn’t even register the camera. Now I think about it, I should have made the connection when we met, no wonder why you looked so familiar.”

“Yeah, you asked if we had met before and I was like ‘Nop.’ I thought you were just trying to flirt.”

“Well, I was. But you did look familiar.” They both laughed at their new found link. “In any case, I had to put the thought of you aside almost immediately, the next couple of weeks were chaos.”

“Chaos why?” Arya was glad to see him in a good mood, even if it was just for a little while.

“Ellen quit a couple of days after that show, the condition of her daughter had worsened and she wanted to stay home to take care of her. I was in the middle of recording an album so I had to deal with rehearsals, the band and the studio. The workers making the repairs in the back of the house were delayed so I had to take care of that as well. It was for real chaos.”

“I wish I had been here,” Arya said.

“Me too.” Gendry kissed her and touched her forehead with his for a moment. Then looked back to the screen and changed the subject. “So, show me those pictures, let’s see how much of an embarrassment I was that night.”

“A huge one,” she joked and they laughed again.

Arya was near the end of the album when Gendry suddenly stopped her. “Wait! Go back.” She did, moving her eyes between the screen and a very focused Gendry. He stared at the picture for a few seconds, “Can you zoom on this man?”

“Sure.” Gendry got closer to the screen and stared for a long moment. The picture showed a blurry man in the background of a room full of people. Arya didn’t want to let her hopes up, but maybe this was actually a clue. She waited in silence until Gendry spoke again.

“You can’t improve the resolution, right?” He said leaning back next to her.

“No, that’s full resolution; I didn’t have the equipment I have now back then.” He looked a bit disappointed. “But… I’m pretty sure I have one where he is closer.”

Arya finished the album, stopping in every picture so the both of them could check it. They reached the last picture and Arya started the album again. The process took several minutes, but finally they reached a picture that immediately showed what they were looking for.

It was taken from a different angle; the same man was standing in the right side of the frame, looking at the stage with a sombre expression that was difficult to read. He seemed to be in his fifties or even early sixties, with more grey hair on his head and not as slim as the ghost, but still enough to be noticeable.

A woman was standing next to him with the same attitude, only she was maybe in her thirties. Both their faces were clear enough, including the identical green of their eyes.

Gendry took a few more moments before speaking. “It’s him.” He said with complete certainty.

“Are you sure?” Arya asked, more to confirm it than anything else.

“Yes, that’s the man I’ve been seeing.”

“OK”, Arya replied, nodding. “That’s something. Do you know him?”

“No, but I know who she is,” Gendry affirmed, pointing at the woman next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading!
> 
> What do you think about this chapter?


	3. Solving Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya and Gendry are finally able to put together the first pieces of their mystery and start the journey to defeat their adversaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this was going to have three chapters, mostly because I wanted to finish it before Halloween. But this is more or less half of what I've been planning for said last part and I haven't finished writing the rest, so you're getting four chapters.
> 
> Take it as a Day of the Dead treat since that holiday is in November.

“That woman is Rowan Drudner’s older sister.”

“Rowan Drudner?” Arya wasn’t sure she recognised the name.

“The assistant I had before Ben.”

“Didn’t that one stole from you?”

Gendry spoke with a sad voice. “It was more complicated than that but yes, she did.” He sighed before continue, “And that’s her sister. I only saw her once, waiting for Rowan outside the gate, but I’m pretty sure. They had the same eyes, which means, that must be their father.”

“But why is he attacking you?”

“He must blame me for what happened with his daughter, I know I still feel guilty about it.”

“Why? You just told me you fired her because she was stealing but never said anything else. What happened?”

“Well, the accountant caught her stealing. Not Darla, Mike, you knew him before he died.”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe he suffered a fatal heart attack, he was a strong, healthy man.”

“Yes, it was unexpected.”

“So, what happened with Rowan?”

“When I confronted her, she told me she was being forced by her father and sister. She wanted out but she had been afraid of telling her father, so maybe this was the sign she was waiting for to do it.”

“Did you believe her?”

There was no trace of cynicism or criticism on Arya’s voice, so Gendry answer accordingly. “Always she mentioned them she seemed afraid and glad they didn’t live in the city so yes, call it a hunch if you will but I do think it was true.” Arya nodded, accepting Gendry’s answer and he continued. “It was not a big amount so I offered not to denounce her if she left and stopped doing those things, she agreed.”

“So she just left.” Arya said more to herself than to Gendry, trying to put together the pieces.

“Yes, she took her stuff and was out by noon. Mike was furious, he had every reason to be of course but I did it to help her break away from her family. We changed every password and I had a locksmith changed the door locks that same afternoon. That was the end of it, kind of. I already had scheduled a performance in the Crossroads Festival where I met you, I left the following day.”

“Kind of?” Arya asked, not quite believing that was all.

“I found a missed call from her after I returned from stage the day of the show but I didn’t call back. The day I came home I was informed she had died in a weird car accident.”

When they started dating, Gendry seemed reluctant to speak about the topic and Arya didn’t push it. Then, as their relationship grew, she forgot about it. That was the first time Gendry told her that story and now Arya wanted to know everything.

“Weird?”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t even know how but the cop was a fan and I managed to convince him to tell me. It happened right outside the city. A local kid walking home from school witnessed the whole thing.”

Arya nodded while closing her laptop to focus all her attention on Gendry.

“She was driving back, I guess coming from her father and sister’s house. The kid said he saw a deer running towards the road. He followed the animal with his eyes because they rarely left the forest, which was 20 minutes from where he was and never came anywhere close to the highway, they knew it was dangerous. He also said the deer looked weird, like it was asleep and wasn’t in control of its own legs.”

Arya opened her eyes wide, thinking how that could be even possible.

“The kid watched as the deer ran straight to the car, as if it was on purpose. The car lost control, crashed against the side of a building and her body flew out. She died before any help could arrive. The kid even said the deer kept running to the other side of the road and left as if nothing had happened.”

“Damn!” Arya was not expecting that kind of story.

“I still feel in part responsible for that accident, she shouldn’t have died. I encouraged her to confront her father. I keep thinking that maybe if I had called her back after the show she would still be alive. I guess that’s why I never said anything.”

Arya put her hand on his cheek to gently turn his head so he faced her. “Gendry, that was not on you. You had no way to know.”

Gendry touched Arya’s forehead with his. “I know, but the thought always comes back.” He looked at Arya again. “Also, I have to tell you something else.”

“What?”

“I’ve been dreaming about Rowan. At first I thought it was my subconscious messing with my head because this stupid ghost is stressing us out but now I actually think it’s real. She is trying to tell me something.”

Arya opened her mouth but no sound came out, she was still processing that piece of information.

“Since when?” She finally asked.

“The night of the fire. I didn’t understand what Rowan meant until I saw her family, it makes sense now. I think she is trying to help us.”

Gendry described everything he remembered to Arya, including the more complete message he received before waking up from his nap. Arya took it extremely well; she didn’t question his mental stability, which was already a lot to ask at that point and even teased him about dreaming with another girl.

After discussing the possibilities, they decided their best shot was to find Rowan’s sister. Since the jacket was already destroyed, whatever that link was had to be in her possession. Neither of them knew how they were going to obtain it, but finding the woman was the first solid step towards a solution they would take since this whole thing started.

Arya opened her laptop again. It took some digging but they eventually found the website of an esoteric store advertising Ursula Drudner as their tarot reader. The ridiculously obvious staged picture showed Rowan’s sister dressed like the perfect stereotypical movie image of a gypsy. Her smile was meant to be charismatic, but Arya felt like she was mocking the audience.

The address was located in a town called Red Lake. It was going to be a long ride and Arya didn’t want to risk driving at night. Gendry would have disagreed but his energy was still low and as disappointing as that was, they prepared to leave in the morning.

-/-/-

_Rowan materialised in front of Gendry again and she looked tired. He gulped to find his voice before her. “Rowan, I’m so sorry. It was never my intention to harm you.”_

_She shook her head. “No Gendry, you are not responsible for this, my father is.”_

_“I…”_

_“We don’t have much time,” Rowan interrupted, “Crossing over like this is draining and painful. My sister must have the link anchoring my father to your world,” she confirmed, “You have to burn it before expelling him.”_

_“Expel him? How do I do that?”_

_The mist was covering Rowan again, but she managed to say one more thing before disappearing. “Go to Trish, she can help you.”_

_“Trish? Who’s Trish?” Gendry yelled to the mist before waking up._

-/-/-

Despite having everything unplugged, the chants were back. This time they were accompanied by the noises of furniture and objects being dropped, pushed or thrown. Intermittently, the chants stopped to be replaced by the ghost’s deep and spectral voice saying horrible things like ‘Do you think you will stop being a bastard just because you’re famous?’ ‘Your father never cared about you because you’re worthless!’ or ‘She is only with you because you’re rich!’

Nymeria was near the door protecting them but had assumed the same curled position than last time. Something was definitely hurting her ears.

They considered going downstairs to try to stop the attack but Gendry thought heavy things falling down without warning was not exactly the safest environment. Arya tried to argue but the image of Nymeria being hurt by a TV or an electro domestic projectile stopped her in her tracks.

Both got dressed, ready to get out of the house in case they smelled smoke. They knelt down to hug Nymeria and comfort her, she hid her head between them and they stayed like that, just looking at the door and each other until everything was over.

-/-/-

It took about an hour for it to stop. However, they waited probably twenty more minutes to make sure it didn’t start again. In the meantime, Gendry told Arya about Rowan’s latest visit and although the name ‘Trish’ sounded familiar, Gendry couldn’t quite place it, which in their current situation wasn’t really surprising.

Once Gendry was done telling Arya, they headed downstairs to see the aftermath. The damages were considerable. Not a single piece of furniture was on its original position and some of them were broken beyond repair. The TV screen was smashed and one of its corners had made a hole in a wall. Their rather heavy bookshelf had collapsed over the living room table, crushing it. The books were everywhere, some of them had been ripped and the pieces were lying in random places.

The dining room, which they rarely used, was a mess as well. They looked around but didn’t consider it a priority just then. They would have to go back after checking the rest of the house.

They had to skip over the microwave to be able to access the kitchen. The fridge was somehow on its side and all the food inside was now decorating the walls. The oven window was broken, the dishes and electro domestics were all over the place and most of them were also broken, same as five of the six stools. The sixth one had been smashed into the sink; the broken faucet was throwing water out and was already forming a pond on the floor.

Gendry moved to cut the water and gas respective supplies, hidden from view for aesthetic purposes, which was probably the only reason they were still intact.

Arya looked around while Gendry was busy. She cleared a space on the floor with a kitchen rag before stepping inside herself.

“Stay there.” Arya said to Nymeria, pointing to the clean spot.

They had been lucky with Nymeria’s paws when Arya broke the window in the garage but allowing her to walk around the kitchen at that moment would be just asking for trouble. Nymeria gave a step and obediently sat on the clean space, satisfied she was in the room with her humans.

They cleaned only superficially, clearing the glass pieces, what they could of the food and putting everything else against the walls so they didn’t step on anything sharp.

The rest of the rooms were in different stages of messiness but in general terms, the main destruction was in the living room and the kitchen, the rooms they used the most apart from their bedroom.

Arya looked at the living room again. She picked up the book closest to her and straitened the wrinkled pages, then left it against the wall and picked up another one. Gendry did the same with a different book. They kept going for a minute until Arya said something more trivial just to break the silence.

“It’s not like the houses in this neighbourhood are close to each other, but I’m actually surprised we haven’t received complains about the noise.”

Gendry suddenly froze, his hand still holding the book he was about to put on his pile.

“What?” Arya looked at Nymeria, then to Gendry again. “Gendry?”

“Neighbourhood,” Gendry reacted, “That’s it!”

Arya just looked at him, puzzled.

“Trish was Rowan’s neighbour! She spoke about Trish as if she had been her sister instead of the real one.”

Arya smiled, realising they had the next piece of the puzzle.

Gendry left the book on the pile and took Arya’s hand to whisper on her ear. “We have to go.”

-/-/-

It only took them a few minutes to get ready. Cards, some cash, keys, Arya’s jumper, Nymeria’s leash and a backpack with the hoodie, sunglasses and cap Gendry often wore to not get recognised so easily.

Once downstairs they went to take the office laptop Gendry had put in a locked drawer and get it inside the backpack. Their last move was to cut the electricity as well, just as a precaution. Gendry did it while Arya waited just three or four steps away from him. Nymeria was the one closest to the door, already held with her leash.

When Gendry turned around to follow them to the door, he heard a very low hiss just for a second. Nymeria cried and shrank on the spot. He couldn’t perceive the sound anymore but Nymeria could and she was in pain again.

Both, Arya and Gendry tried to get to the wolf but were interrupted by one of the kitchen’s knives flying on their direction. It was a miss; it inserted itself on the wall like a dart. Then came the second one. Gendry had to push Arya so the knife didn’t stab her. It passed just a couple of centimetres away from her, cutting Gendry’s arm before stabbing the wall instead.

“Stop! Just stop!” Gendry shouted at the empty space.

“Kill her,” the spectral voice said. “Kill her and I will never bother you again.”

“No.” Gendry didn’t raise his voice, but he couldn’t be more determined. “I’m not hurting her.”

“Then she will do it herself.”

Gendry turned his head just in time to see Arya pulling the knife closest to her to take it to her own throat.

He almost jumped on her. His hand took her wrist to get the knife away from her neck. Arya fought, she tried to push him away. For such a petite woman she was incredibly strong. Gendry shifted the position of his body to be able to open her arm and force her to let go of the knife.

Gendry grabbed Arya to carry her on his shoulder before she had time to fight back. She started hitting his back and trying to kick his chest.

“Arya, stop!” She didn’t.

Gendry fixed the strap of the backpack on his other shoulder, then bent just enough to reach Nymeria’s collar and pulled. The wolf didn’t complain but was clearly having trouble moving. He dragged her outside the house while still holding Arya over his shoulder.

Whatever sound hurting Nymeria seemed to stay in the house because she started moving with more ease. Gendry let go of the collar once they reached Arya’s car so he could focus on her. Nymeria immediately assumed a protective position between them and the house.

Gendry put Arya down on her feet. “Arya wake up! Please love, please, come back! Arya!!!”

Arya gasped to bring air into her lungs. Then looked at Gendry, still confused.

Gendry sighed but didn’t give explanations. “We really have to go, I’ll drive.” He extended his hand to ask for the keys.

Arya took them out of her pants and gave them to Gendry. He unlocked the car and opened the back door to allow Nymeria inside while Arya slid to the passenger sit from the front door.

-/-/-

Gendry drove away, trying to calm down. Rowan’s father had been very close from seriously hurting Arya and he was done. Gendry was going to get rid of that fucking ghost even if he had to go down as well.

“Are you alright?” Gendry asked, giving Arya a quick look. As much as he wanted to hug her, he needed to keep his eyes on the road.

“Yes.” Arya took a few more seconds to recover. She looked at Nymeria to make sure she was OK as well before speaking again. “What happened? Did I do that?”

Gendry glanced; Arya was looking at his injured arm. He didn’t even remember it until she pointed it out.

“No, he tried to stab us.” Gendry was trying to sound calm but his voice betrayed him. Then Arya asked what he was dreading.

“What did I do?” Arya’s voice was serious; she wasn’t going to take bullshit.

Gendry took a moment to answer to process the words. “He tried to make you cut your own throat. I had to fight you to take the knife from you.”

Arya didn’t speak for several minutes; her eyes were just looking at the road. Her head was spinning, but not because of the ghost’s control. The thought of doing something like that right in front of Gendry was paralysing. She needed to find the way to stop the ghost from getting inside her head and she had to do it fast, before she injured Gendry or herself.

At some point she looked at Gendry again, his arm was still bleeding. Arya didn’t think it was a deep cut but they still had to take care of it.

“We need to clean that cut.” Her voice sounded lower than expected, but she received an answer anyway.

“Later, right now I just want to put some distance between us and the house. He will probably follow us but at least we’ll be moving.

-/-/-

The car left the residential area and entered a part of the city with taller buildings. There were more people on the streets. Some going to work or to different stores, some were exercising or jogging and some were walking their dogs.

Nymeria emitted a low sound on the back sit to call their attention. She looked uncomfortable but not scared.

“What’s wrong?” Gendry asked, looking through the rear-view mirror. He didn’t know if he should worry.

“She needs to pee,” Arya answered calmly. “Turn right in the next intersection, there’s a park a few blocks away.”

Gendry followed Arya’s instructions, in a few minutes they were getting out of the car next to a small but beautiful park. There were a few planters with fresh pink and yellow flowers around the green area and despite their situation, Arya found herself enjoying the soft perfume coming out of the planter at her side.

Nymeria usually liked to play and run around when she was taken to parks. However, this time she didn’t even pulled her leash. She simply walked to the grass to relieve herself, sniffed around for a few seconds, peed again on a different spot, then turned around to look at her humans to communicate she was ready.

They returned to the car and Gendry took out the laptop. He searched for Rowan’s address and couldn’t help but feeling relieved when he found it, he would have lost it if it hadn’t been there.

Arya entered the address into the GPS and allowed it to guide them to an old brown building. Gendry put on his hoodie to cover the cut on his arm and they tried to fix their hair enough to not attract attention.

There were six doors on Rowan’s floor, she used to live in 2-E, which left five more possible flats. Assuming Trish lived on the same floor of course.

Gendry looked at the almost identical doors before speaking. “What do you think? Door by door or we try Rowan’s one to see if the current tenant can help us.”

Arya considered it for a moment. “Rowan’s one first,” she replied with a determined voice. “If we try door by door you could be recognised and I don’t think we need someone instagramming your face from this building.

“OK.”

They approached the door and Arya relaxed her shoulders before knocking.

At first she thought no one was going to answer but the door ended up opening enough to show the face of an old woman with inquisitive eyes. Gendry got the impression she would be the kind of person that would interrogate you before giving you the time. However, as it often happened, Arya’s social skills amazed him.

“Yes?” The woman asked, looking from Arya to Gendry to Nymeria. She didn’t give signs of recognising Gendry, that was good. Arya knew exactly what to say.

“Hi!” Arya greeted with a cheerful voice. “I’m Sue, this is my boyfriend Tommy and this is Molly,” Arya briefly petted Nymeria. “I’m so sorry to bother you but I was hoping you could help me.”

“Help you with what dear?” The door opened a bit more.

“Well,” Arya paused for emphasis, “The girl who lived here a few years ago, Rowan, was a very good friend of mine back at school. I recently came back to the city and found out she passed away in a car accident.”

The door opened even more, Arya had won the woman’s goodwill. “Oh yes, I heard about that. The landlord told me her sister came after it happened and asked if anything had been taken because a family book was missing, which of course was not the case. Something sentimental I’m guessing, it must have been very difficult losing someone so young.”

“I’m sure it was,” Arya replied, absorbing the extra details. “Actually, that’s why I came. I remembered Rowan was also friends with one of her neighbours and I know it’s a long shot but she might still have a way to contact Rowan’s family. I would love to pay my respects, even if it’s been a while.”

The woman’s face softened. “That is so sweet of you, dear.”

“Thank you. The thing is, I can’t remember the flat’s number, but her name is Trish.”

“Trish, yes. Nice woman. She lives in 2-C, but you will not find her until maybe six thirty; she must be at work right now.”

“Of course, I completely forgot about the time.” That part was not an act; it never occurred to Arya that they were there in the middle of the morning on a weekday. “We’ll come back later. Thank you so much for your help.”

“Anytime dear, good luck.” The woman closed the door and they headed to the stairs.

“You were friends from school?” Gendry said once they were out of the building. “Seriously?”

“I had to say something she would believe so she didn't start asking uncomfortable questions. You know, don’t be suspicious asking where people you don’t know lives.”

Gendry laughed, “You’re amazing.”

“I know,” Arya replied with a satisfied smile on her face before getting back in the car.

“So Ursula came looking for a book and it wasn’t here.”

“I bet Trish has it.”

“I hope so.” Gendry looked at the clock, it was 10:36. He snorted with impatience. “What do we do now? I don’t want to go back to the house to be honest.”

“Me neither, but we have a few things to do anyway.”

“Like what?”

“First, getting something to clean and cover that cut.” Arya moved her head to point to Gendry’s arm. “And we also need food for us and Nymeria. What if we don’t find a place to eat that allows wolves while we are on the road?”

“Right.”

-/-/-

They found a convenience store a few blocks away, Gendry tried to go inside but Arya stopped him. “No way, we’ll be eating Cheetos and Doritos for days if I let you buy our supplies. You stay here with Nymeria.”

Gendry didn’t like it, so he spoke in a deadly serious voice. “OK, but if you so much as look at me funny or Nymeria makes a weird sound I’m getting inside, the hell with the no animals policy.”

“I can work with that,” Arya nodded.

Arya gave a few steps inside the store and turned around, Gendry was right outside with his eyes fixed on her and she couldn’t help a smile. He looked like one of those control freak, possessive boyfriends on crime TV shows with his hood on and a serious expression. She turned her attention back to the food, still feeling amused by the idea.

The options were not the best but Arya managed to gather a few bottles of water, a selection of baguettes and bagels stuffed with ham and cheese and a small package of disposable plates. Also, ‘Another bit of good luck,’ Arya thought, they had dog food. It wasn’t anywhere near to what Nymeria was used to but it would work.

Arya asked if there was a pharmacy nearby while she paid and after leaving the food in the car they headed to their next stop. They followed the same steps at the pharmacy, Arya going inside to get their stuff while Gendry waited right outside looking creepy.

They returned to the car so Arya could clean and patch Gendry’s injury. He suddenly tensed his muscles and Arya thought she had hurt him but when she looked at him, his eyes were wide. Gendry was looking at a point across the street in front of them.

“Gendry?” Arya called him.

He looked at her, pale and startled. Then his eyes travelled back to the same point and stayed there for a moment before his body relaxed.

“What is it?”

Gendry took a deep breath before speaking. “That stupid man was just standing there, looking at us.” He moved his hand to signal the place he had been staring at.

“Was he doing something else?”

“No, just staring.” He looked at the clock; it was barely 11:19.

-/-/-

The three of them sat in silence for a while. Gendry looked absent, lost in his thoughts and Arya had a good idea of what he was thinking about.

“You do know anything he said is true, right? Whoever your father is, he was the asshole for leaving you, you are not worthless.” Gendry looked down and produced a small smile. “And I’m not with you because you’re rich, I have my own money.”

That made Gendry chuckle, he finally turned his head to look at Arya and take her hand on his. “I know, I wouldn’t be with you in the first place if that were the case.”

Arya got a bit closer to look into his eyes. “I love you.”

Gendry smiled wider and his eyes recovered a bit of their shine. “I love you back.”

Arya smiled back before kissing him with a tenderness she reserved for very private moments. When she broke the kiss, Gendry’s expression was closer to his normal self.

-/-/-

Gendry insisted on going to a drive through to have lunch because if they were going to eat trash, he wanted the good trash while they were still in the city. They got burgers, including one for Nymeria. She sniffed over Arya’s shoulder until she took out the not dog friendly condiments.

“Sit back.” Arya waited until the wolf did what she was told to give her the burger. “Here, you earned it.”

Except for the moment Gendry saw the man standing in the distance again, the rest of the afternoon was surprisingly calmed. At 6:45 they were entering the building again. Arya knocked on 2-C, hoping she didn’t have to come up with a story here as well.

A man opened the door. He was tall like Gendry but a bit heavier and was still loosening his tie when he saw them.

‘There it is,’ Arya thought when the unmistakable look of someone recognising Gendry showed up on the man’s face. ‘This one will be more to the point then.’

“Hi,” she said with a more normal voice. “I’m Arya, this is Gendry.”

“Yes, I know who he is.” He had been surprised when he saw Gendry but didn’t seem shocked by his presence.

Gendry was the one speaking this time. “This may sound strange, but we are looking for Trish. We just need to speak with her for a couple of minutes.”

“Not strange, actually. Come in, I’ll call her.”

Arya and Gendry looked at each other, wondering what he meant. Then they came into the flat to wait. Arya looked around; it was a normal family home, cosy and welcoming. There was a beautiful handmade autumnal throw blanket over the couch and a toy truck on the floor. The fading light coming through the windows formed patterns over their coffee table. The place made Arya feel comfortable.

The silence was broken by a young voice. “Doggy!”

Nymeria’s muscles tensed but the boy never reached her. His father intersected him. “No Mr, you need to finish your homework.”

“Ahhhhh,” the boy complained.

“Come on, your mum needs to speak with these nice people.” He guided the disappointed boy to one of the rooms while Trish came out.

She was taller than Arya and just as thin. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and she had the kind expression mothers often have.

“Look at you.” Trish opened her hands towards them to emphasise her words. “I’ve been expecting you for quite a while now. Please, have a sit,” she invited.

Arya and Gendry looked at each other again, both a bit confused. They sat down, not sure of what to say next.

“We…” Arya started, but Trish interrupted.

“You come for Rowan’s book.”

“Yes,” Gendry replied, “How did you know?”

“She left it with me to hide it. I’m not gonna lie, that think scares me a little bit but I couldn’t refuse, she did so much for us.”

“What do you mean?” Arya asked, she felt intrigued. Gendry didn’t say anything but was curious as well.

“We were already here when Rowan moved to the building and we became friends pretty quickly. I eventually found out she came from a family that practised spiritism, witchcraft, hypnotism, even necromancy. Heavy stuff, but she didn’t agree with the way they used all of that.”

She looked back to make sure the boy wasn’t listening.

“When Al, our son, turned two he got sick, like seriously sick. We did everything we could, doctors, tests, anything worked.”

Trish gulped, repressing the memory.

“One night Rowan came with her book and a bunch of other things. She asked if she could try something to make Al feel better. I had to convince my husband but in the end we left her alone with Al.”

Arya nodded to invite her to continue.

“Rowan stayed with Al the entire night, she didn’t ask for food or water, she didn’t even use the bathroom. We don’t know what she did, but the next day the fever was gone. Within a couple of weeks Al was the cheerful boy he had been before, he didn’t even seem to remember much about his illness. Rowan later told me it felt good to use those skills to help.”

Trish looked down for a moment, considering how to continue.

“Rowan gave us our son back, the least we could do was to help her when she needed us. The day before she left, she brought the book. Rowan told me she had been gathering spells to protect herself from her father. She wanted to disappear but needed to go back one last time.”

Then Trish looked directly to Gendry.

“I already knew Rowan was working for you at the time, but her words stuck with me. She said ‘Don’t give the book to anyone but me, and if something happens to me, keep it until Gendry comes for it. I hope he never has to come but if he does, he would be in trouble and would need the book.’”

It was Gendry’s turn to gulp. Rowan had set things up to protect him if her father decided to do something. He looked at Arya; she took his hand and smile slightly to soothe him.

“Rowan put some protections in the flat, that's what she called them anyway and I promised I would do what she asked. Now it’s time to fulfil my promise, Mr Waters. If you would please help me to get it. It’s on the last shelf of the closet, where my Al can’t reach it.”

“Of course.” Gendry stood up at once and followed Trish to the hallway closet.

There was a safe box covered with a piece of fabric and hidden under a couple of winter blankets. Gendry took the box and placed it on the table. Trish excused herself for a moment and came back with the key. Arya approached as well, curious about the content.

Trish opened the box to reveal the book. After so much anticipation, the book looked… unremarkable. Black hard covers and white paper, that was all.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Trish spoke again, “It looks like the most common thing on this planet, I believe that’s exactly the purpose. But something inside it cured my boy and I’m sure it will help you as well.”

Gendry looked back at Trish. “I know it will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is for real the last one, thank you for reading!
> 
> What do you think of this one?


	4. Ghostly Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya, Gendry and Nymeria gather the last pieces of the puzzle and head to their last battle.

Gendry drove for nearly three hours before they arrived to a little town, if you could call it that. Just a bunch of houses, a couple of already closed stores, an also closed gas station and a motel. Gendry stopped the car in front of the gas station and got out to have a quick look, then came back to the car.

“Well, it’s not abandoned but there’s no one around. Looks like we will have to stay here for the night.”

“It’s fine, we need to get some rest anyway.” Arya looked back; the motel’s lights were on. “At least there’s somewhere to stay.”

Gendry turned the car around and parked at the motel. They paid for the room with cash and gave something extra to the man at the reception when he insinuated the big dog couldn’t stay inside.

The room was ugly but the bed was big enough for the three of them and most important, there was a bathroom. Arya felt dirty after hearing what she was about to do with the knife and was craving a shower.

However, their paranoia was as high as the sky and after some consideration; they decided that the best way to proceed was to prevent the bathroom door from closing. It will make the room hotter but they would feel safer.

Gendry found a plastic tray in the empty minibar that would be perfect for this purpose. Arya walked inside the bathroom and Gendry placed the tray vertically against the frame. The door closed most of the way except for a gap wide enough to allow Nymeria’s nose to peek inside.

Arya looked at Gendry through the gap and winked at him. “I’ll be quick.” He smiled at her and she moved to the shower.

Gendry walked to the window to open it and looked outside. He could see lights in the houses in front of him but the street was empty. His eyes searched for the ghost, he had been appearing at the side of the road. The man didn’t do anything; he just stood there watching the car passing in front of him and then he was gone, only to appear later and stare at them again.

He wasn’t there, at least for now and Gendry felt a little bit better. He sat on the bed hearing the water fall inside the bathroom. He didn’t want to admit how worried and scared he was in front of Arya, mostly not to put more weight over her shoulders. In a way, Gendry was glad she couldn’t see the man because he was getting closer and closer and he was terrified that at some point, Nymeria’s presence wouldn’t be enough to stop him from reaching them.

When Arya walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, Gendry decided to take a shower as well, maybe that would help him relax. He kissed Arya and walked inside the still worm bathroom, hoping the water would wash some of the anxiety away.

-/-/-

While Gendry was showering, Arya took the book out of the backpack to have a better look and immediately understood what Trish said about its appearance and being a bit scared of it. The external ordinary look was only a façade. The interior however, was an entirely different story.

The pages were full of what Arya believed were spells, incantations and hexes. The instructions of a few of them seemed fairly simple, but the execution of the majority used words Arya didn’t recognise and ingredients she didn’t know.

There were dried leaves or roots glued to some of the pages and drawings full of weird symbols on others. The handwriting was carefully traced and Arya had the impression it was made by the same person over an extended period of time.

“She worked on this for years,” Arya whispered to herself.

Arya kept looking until a page caught her eye. The title was _‘Protection against superficial mental control.’_ Arya started reading, hoping the instructions were not a riddle.

‘This kind of mental control doesn't usually last long but it’s effective and powerful. It requires the caster to mark the chosen subject with a sting, scratch or cut made with a tool previously prepared to facilitate the manipulation.’

‘It causes memory loss and in some cases, the individual shows symptoms immediately before the attempted manipulation. These symptoms include redness, itchiness or even pain in the area affected by the mark, as well as numbness, dizziness and headaches.’

‘To prevent it, the person susceptible to manipulation has to build a barrier to protect their own mind against the external influence. This is achieved by surrounding the mind with memories where the person feels safe and happy. Since this is very personal, the individual has to make sure the chosen memories are strong enough to prevent the external influence from taking advantage of weak points.’

It sounded like Arya would need a lot of concentration and she would also have to be very careful with the memories she decided to choose, but she thought this was achievable. In any case, it was worth doing it if she needed to.

Arya looked at her finger. It didn’t itch but the red point was bigger now, more like a spot. She closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened before waking up next to her car. It started coming back. Nymeria crying, a knife flying on their direction and the itch and dizziness hitting her almost at the same time. Then nothing, that was her signal.

The bathroom door opened and Arya looked up, still with her finger raised in front of her. Gendry stopped to scan her before speaking.

“Everything OK?”

“Yeah, I think I found something that could help me with the blackouts.”

Gendry moved the tray, stepped over a sleepy Nymeria and closed the door to keep what was left of the steam inside before sitting next to Arya. They talked about it for a few minutes and by the end, Gendry only hoped Arya didn’t have the need to try it.

They decided to eat before exploring the book in more detail. Gendry arranged their food on the small desk the room had while Arya prepared something for Nymeria in a couple of the disposable plates.

Gendry took a quick look through the window while Nymeria argued about the unfamiliar food. He felt relieved Arya thought about buying the baguettes in the city. The place looked empty when they arrived, but now it looked dead. He doubted they would have been able to find something edible apart from the content of the bending machine in the reception.

They were still eating when a sudden current ran through the room. The cold air opened the book Arya had left on the bed and flipped the pages until it reached a point near the end of the written part. The current dissolved as if it had never existed, same as the cold.

The three of them looked at the book in silence until everything was over. Nymeria approached the bed to sniff around but she didn’t look alarmed. Whatever happened didn’t come from the same place than the man.

Once Nymeria stepped back, Arya and Gendry got closer. The book was opened on a page with the title _‘Expelling portal.’_ The explanation was brief but clear, this kind of portal was used to expel spirits that refused to leave the world of the living.

Arya and Gendry looked at each other, this was what Rowan wanted them to find. They sat to read together. The instructions seemed simple enough, but the execution would be tricky to say the least.

They required the caster to trace a rectangle on the floor of approximately the size of a door. The lines had to be uninterrupted and made with a specific powder with an obscure sounding name. Once the frame was done, the caster had to put a picture or personal object of the spirit in the middle of the rectangle.

The next step was the incantation. The caster had to be outside the frame before starting, then place the palm of their dominant hand on the floor inside the frame and say the incantation three times, loud and with confidence. Last, the caster had to immediately retire the hand and step back.

The portal would force the spirit to manifest to drag it inside so the caster should make sure not to stand in the way until the portal was closed.

The page had a small bag with a sample of the powder attached to the side of the instructions and the incantation at the end. There were four short sentences, arranged like a paragraph of a song and the text was not in English. Some words had too many vowels together, some too many consonants together and a few formed sounds that reminded Arya of the tongue twisters of her childhood.

Gendry read it, trying to form the sounds with his mouth. Saying that was going to be a nightmare, but he had to make it work if he wanted to get rid of Rowan’s father. Then, there was the issue of the powder. The sample looked like charcoal, however Gendry seriously doubted that was the case. Arya voiced it first.

“Somehow I don’t think this thing is a charcoal cleansing mask.”

“Me neither, we have to trust Rowan will show us where to find it. Otherwise the entire thing is useless.”

“I guess so.”

“Besides, I have to focus on the incantation. I need to get it right.”

“Are you sure? All that Braavosi I learned could help me say it.”

Gendry shook his head. “No, he is after me. I have to do it myself.”

Arya sighed but didn’t argue. She knew Gendry wasn’t going to change his mind. He still felt responsible for the whole thing.

She helped Gendry as much as she could with the pronunciation but there was only so much she could do with words neither of them understood. In the end, he spent most of the night practising in low voice.

Arya tried to get some rest, but she had her own task. She curled in the bed, digging for memories that could help her to protect herself. Arya couldn’t sleep until Gendry got under the blankets and she felt his arm around her.

-/-/-

They made the effort to start early the next morning. The store’s website said that was Ursula’s last day for the week. If they didn’t catch her that afternoon, they would have to wait for three days and the mere idea was unbearable.

Gendry drove away as soon as they were able to fill the tank. The rest of the way was mostly silent; both were lost in their own thoughts and made no real attempt to engage in conversation. They were also tired, even Nymeria seemed less energetic. The last few days had worn them down and they were eager to be done with it.

At some point, they switch seats and Arya was glad to be able to focus her attention on the road instead of her worry. Rowan’s father still appeared standing at the side of the road. It was an unpleasant view but at least it didn’t happen often and Gendry didn’t pay much attention on him anymore.

Red Lake was a small but picturesque town, the kind of place that has adapted to tourism. Some of the big old houses had been turned into hotels and the main streets were full of coffee shops, restaurants and gift stores.

There was a castle in the distance and for the publicity they could see, there was a lake with a charming story about dragons as well. The amount of people was not impressive now, but in the summer the place would be full. Arya smirked; this was the perfect place for an opportunistic person like Ursula to thrive.

The store where Ursula did readings was near the town square. Arya parked on one of the sides, in a spot that allowed them to see the store without attracting unwanted attention.

“We should go see if she is for real there.”

Gendry twisted his mouth. “OK, but not inside.”

“I can go; I’m not the famous one here.”

“No, but if they did their homework she will know your face as well.”

Arya couldn’t argue with that. They were usually discrete in public but their relationship was not a secret, a simple search would throw out pictures of the two of them. “From outside then.”

Gendry nodded before putting his hood on.

They approached the store pretending to be interested on the display of the front windows. The counter was in one side, where a young woman was busy showing something to a client. The other side had shelves with a variety of items and in the back, there was a purple curtain decorated with golden stars.

The fabric covered most of the right side of a round table so they couldn’t see if someone was there. However, there were a couple of giggly teenagers sitting on the left. Their attention was on the table and for a second, Arya and Gendry could see a hand placing a card on the surface in front of the girls.

“She is there,” Gendry said with an icy voice. He was making an effort to stop himself from going inside and challenge her right there and then.

“Yep, we just have to wait now.” Arya took Gendry’s hand. “Come on, we can’t stay here.” She turned to walk away, slowly pulling his hand to make him move.

The store’s website said Ursula would still be there for a couple of hours and Arya wanted to use them. Their first stop was to get a lighter, Gendry chose the kind that can keep the flame on until you close it, he didn’t want to have to ignite it every few seconds. Arya also dragged Gendry to get some food and practically forced him to eat his once they were back in the car. They finished with plenty of time and just sat there, waiting.

Ten minutes before Ursula came out; Gendry took Arya’s hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss it, then intertwined their fingers and rested their hands on his leg to be able to caress her with his thumb.

Arya looked at him and smiled softly. Gendry’s eyes were still fixed on the store and she didn’t think he would turn his gaze to see her. Gendry did that sometimes, when he was very nervous or tense. He would just take her hand or hold her waist to calm himself down and Arya was always glad to be there for him. It was an introvert thing, but Arya felt loved and needed whenever Gendry did it.

They stayed like that until Ursula stepped outside. She was wearing a flowy lilac skirt, a cream top, big hoop earrings and was carrying a pink bandana with a chain of fake coins in her hand. Her long dark hair fell free on her back and made a nice contrast with her slightly tanned skin and green eyes.

Arya couldn’t know for sure, but she imagined Rowan would look like a younger, more likable version of her sister. Or maybe it was just her mind trying to put a face to the name.

Gendry gently squeezed her hand before letting go so she could start the car. Ursula approached her car, then looked at the square as if there was something she needed to see. Arya and Gendry prepared to hide but Ursula didn’t look on their direction. A moment later, she opened the door of her car and got inside.

Arya followed her to the edge of the town, outside the touristy area. The houses were not that close to each other here and Arya had to be extra careful, she didn’t want to attract Ursula’s attention.

Ursula parked her car outside her house. The place was nothing special, but if they judged it the same way than Rowan’s book, it meant the scary stuff was inside.

The next house was empty and Arya parked in the front. They looked at each other, preparing for the imminent confrontation.

-/-/-

They approached the door and Arya whispered on Nymeria’s ear.

“Be a bad girl.”

Nymeria moved her ear and looked at Arya for a second. Then Gendry knocked the door, ready to take action.

The door opened and Gendry put his foot in the way so Ursula couldn’t close it again. Ursula gasped and stepped back when she recognised Gendry. He opened the door with his arm to allow Nymeria to enter.

She was already showing her fangs and emitting a low but menacing growl. Ursula backed off as Gendry and Nymeria walked forward. Once they were inside Arya pulled the sleeve of her jumper to close the door without touching it.

Ursula stopped at the beginning of the hallway that gave access to the rooms, finally able to control herself. She looked from Nymeria to Gendry, then to Arya and back at Nymeria.

“So, you were for real outside the store,” she smirked, “What do you want?”

“Give us the link,” Gendry demanded. He was already in bastard asshole mode.

Her expression showed surprise for less than a second but they were able to perceive it anyway. “What link?”

“The one tying your father to me.”

Ursula was able to control her expression this time but still took her a moment too long to answer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do.”

Nymeria stepped a bit closer and growled louder. Ursula gulped and looked at the wolf with hate. Then took her eyes back to Gendry.

“It’s not here, and I’m not telling you where it is.”

Gendry knew she was lying but didn’t argue for now, he just smiled. “You will.”

“No, I won’t and it doesn’t matter anyway. You bought that jacket fair and square; my father’s ghost is your problem now. The only way to get rid of the link and my father was selling the jacket to someone else and I bet that ugly thing was the first my father ruined.”

Gendry didn’t alter his expression. “I’ll find another way.”

“Sure, pretty boy. Who told you about that anyway?”

“Rowan.” That was all the information Gendry was willing to give.

“She is actually around then.” She allowed the surprise to show up on her face this time. “Father tried to call her after she died and she didn’t answer. Ungrateful child, after all we did for her.”

“You forced her to steal, that’s what you did.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like she wasn’t having a good time spending her days in mansions a going to fancy places with you, rich people.” The bitter tone of her voice was irritating.

“She wasn’t like that and you knew it.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rowan didn’t like how father used his gifts and she wanted out. The truth is she was weak, and she was stupid enough to believe she was going to be able to hide from us. She was even stealing spells from father’s book and the silly thing thought we didn’t know. Then you convinced her all that nonsense in her head was a good idea.”

“Rowan tried to get out and you killed her.”

“Father had to. She was going back to warn you, to protect you. I wanted to blame you for her death but of course you were in a festival surrounded by thousands of adoring fans willing to swear you were there. Father had to improvise. You took her from us!”

Gendry was speechless; Ursula really believed what she was saying.

“Father was going to take you down immediately but he found out his heart was failing, so instead of doing something to get a transplant, he waited. You took my father from me as well! The only thing he wanted was to take you with him, to make you pay! And he will!”

“You’re crazy!”

“And you’re fucked! I’m surprised you’re not dead already. Father was supposed to take control over you to make you kill her and then yourself, unless…” She looked at Arya with disdain, “The needle found her before you, right?” Ursula laughed. “No plan is perfect, I guess. It’s all the same, you will end up doing it anyway, it’s just a matter of time.” She shook her head and a smirk appeared on her face. “If we had known you would be such a pain in the ass…”

“What made you choose me in the first place? What did I do to you?”

“Nothing, we chose you because you are alone,” she glared at Arya, “Or were, and that’s easier. We get the money and there’s only one death. No greedy partner trying to find out where the money went, no nosy cops trying to bring some peace to grieving parents. The accountants can be manipulated and if they don’t, they pay the price. Yours did. Less loose ends, that’s all.”

“You’re fucking insane.”

“Leave! You’re not welcome here. I hope father makes your death painful.”

Gendry didn’t move so Arya grabbed his arm. “Come on Gendry, come on.” He looked at Arya with confused eyes. “Now.”

Arya pulled her sleeve again to open the door and close it once they were out.

-/-/-

They walked out of the house and returned to the car. Gendry was having serious trouble controlling himself.

“What is going on in the heads of these people? She said to our face they killed Mike as if it was nothing!”

“I don’t know, that was worse than I thought it would be.”

“She is obviously not giving us that stupid link; we will have to break into her house.”

“Yes, we just need her to get out of the house.”

“So basically we will have to keep an eye on her and hope she gets out or wait for three days.”

“I don’t think we have other option.”

“Well, I don’t like it. It’s too long, she could do something to help her father and then we will be for real fucked.”

“I don’t like it either, Gendry. I just don’t know what else to do.”

“Maybe if we force her…”

“Yeah, let’s attack her. Then she will press charges and you or the both of us will go to jail, where Nymeria can’t protect us.”

That seemed to do the trick. The idea of Arya alone in jail drained Gendry’s anger, his voice switched back to a low, more controlled tone. “Sorry, I just…” He took a very deep breath. “I just want this to be over.”

Arya also softened her voice. “Me too.” She took Gendry’s hand. He looked at her and his eyes finally softened as well. “Let’s go, we need a place to stay. I’m sure we can find something better around here.

“OK.”

“Wooooof.” Nymeria got closer, putting her head between them. She was staring at the front of the car.

Both turned their heads. Arya pushed her body against the sit with her eyes wide open and emitted an intelligible sound. Gendry stayed still with equally wide eyes and his mouth partially opened.

Rowan was standing in front of the car. She looked as pale as her father’s ghost, except the blood on her head and face. That part seemed to glow, even in the fading light of the late afternoon.

Once she had their attention, Rowan raised her arm with her palm facing them and shook her head two times before lowering her arm. She stayed still for a few seconds, then disappeared in a thin mist.

Arya was the first to speak. “Was that Rowan?” Her voice was trembling.

“Yes.” Gendry said, still staring at the empty space. He gulped before looking at Arya. “You saw her.” It was part a question, part an affirmation but Arya answered anyway.

“Yeah,” she said while nodding. Arya sighed before turning her gaze to Gendry.

“Are you OK?”

Arya nodded again. “Yes, she just took me by surprise. Hearing about her is not the same than actually seeing her.” She took a deep breath as well. “At least we know she doesn’t want to kill us.”

Gendry chuckled. “Why did she do that? Do you think she wants us to stay?”

“I think so. It’s not that late, Ursula could still go out.”

Gendry nodded. “Let’s wait then.”

Arya started the car. “We should make her think we’re leaving, that’ll be better.”

She turned the car and drove back, making sure to slow down in front of Ursula’s house. Gendry could see her face behind a window, looking at them with the same hateful expression he was already used to see on the face of her father.

Arya drove until it was safe to go back without being seen. She took the next street this time and parked on the side of the empty house that was not visible from Ursula’s place.

Half an hour later Ursula came out wearing sport clothes and her hair up in a bun. She carried a small bag to her car and drove away in the direction of the town.

Arya and Gendry looked at each other, amazed at the sight of Ursula leaving. They waited until the car was out of sight, but when Gendry was going to open his door, Arya stopped him.

“Wait.” She searched for a moment in the dashboard’s compartment to get the apparently empty pharmacy bag and took out a couple of small bags. She gave one to Gendry and opened the other to reveal two latex gloves. “We are not leaving prints in this house.”

She signalled Gendry to put his pair on while she did the same. Gendry couldn’t believe this woman kept surprising him like that. He didn’t know what he would do without her.

Once they were both wearing their gloves, they approached the house. They expected the front door to be closed but tried anyway; the two front windows were next. Then, they walked to the side; the kitchen window was closed as well and the one that looked like the bathroom was way too small.

There were two windows on the back and the first one was closed. However, when Gendry tried to lift the second one, it showed a bit of resistance before cracking. It opened, but not all the way. He tried the two windows on the other side of the house, it didn’t work. When he came back, Arya was already looking inside.

It was a bedroom. “I can squeeze in,” she affirmed.

“What?”

“I can see the hallway. If I run I will be at the front door in no time.”

Gendry was whispering now. “What if he takes control when you are inside? He could harm you before I break the door.”

Arya took Gendry’s face between her hands and looked into the blue of his eyes. “I know how to stop him now, trust me.”

Gendry for real didn’t like it, but they had to get in somehow. He repressed his impulse to protect Arya at all cost before speaking. “OK, but be careful and please, please run.”

“Yep.” She kissed him before letting go of his face. “Lift me.”

Gendry helped her get her legs inside first. When half of her body was in the room, Arya winked at him. “I’ll see you at the door.”

She took a second to choose a memory and pictured Gendry’s face in her mind. Arya had agreed to move in with him that day and his smile made her feel like the most loved person in the entire universe. She nodded once and slid inside.

Both, Gendry and Nymeria ran to the front of the house. His chest ache with fear and anxiety and he didn’t know his heart could beat that fast. Nymeria reached the door a few seconds before Gendry and lift her body, trying to open with her paws.

Arya got inside and ran to the hallway. She passed the partially opened door of another room and came out to the area where they had their conversation with Ursula, that’s when she felt the itch. Arya held to the image of Gendry’s face, she could see the front door now and she ran, as fast as she could.

She managed to reach the door before the dizziness clouded her eyes. They were outside, she could hear Nymeria scratching. Her hand was already on the door knob, but she had to fight the urge to let go and walk to the kitchen. Arya bit her lower lip to focus and turned her hand. The lock clicked and the door opened.

Nymeria nearly knocks Arya down. She just hugged the wolf, feeling the dizziness disappear. Gendry came inside and closed the door behind him. He put his hand on Arya’s shoulder and she looked up at him with a smile.

Arya stood up and hugged Gendry as well, but didn’t allow herself to linger there, they had stuff to do.

They walked back to the rooms. The first one at their right was Ursula’s, the one on their left was her father’s. Next to Ursula’s room was the one with the opened window, probably Rowan’s. The second room on the left was locked, that was the one they were looking for. Gendry didn’t waste time; he charged against the door with his shoulder and only had to do it twice to open it.

There was a big cabinet with two doors and four drawers in one side of the room, in the side opposite to the cabinet there was a pedestal with a glass case protecting an old book, the one Ursula mentioned was her father’s.

An altar on a high table against one of the walls with no windows dominated the room. A big framed picture of Rowan’s father hanged above the table and Gendry was glad to find it there, it would save time.

They approached; most of the items were unrecognisable for Arya and Gendry, but the object they wanted was resting on a plate between two black candles, right in the middle of the table and below the picture. Gendry felt disgusted when he picked it up and realised what it was.

The small roll of fabric was stained with dry blood but seemed to be the piece that was missing from the jacket’s lining. It was tied with white human hair and had a very unpleasant smell. It took Gendry a couple of seconds to notice it was a stronger version of the weird smell they detected when the jacket arrived.

Nymeria emitted a low woof again and they turned around. Rowan was standing behind them pointing at the cabinet. Arya gave a couple of steps on its direction and opened one of the doors. The interior was full of jars, pots, flasks and containers of different sizes and all had something inside.

Arya looked at Rowan again. “The powder? She asked.

Rowan nodded and vanished again.

Gendry spoke next. “You look for the powder; I’ll take care of this.”

They moved. Arya started opening everything, looking for black powder. Gendry took the plate to put it on the floor, away from the table, then used the lighter to set the fabric on fire. He put the link back on the plate so it could consume there. It didn’t take long and when the fire was extinguished in the ashes, Nymeria started growling, louder this time.

They turned around again. Nymeria was in defensive position, growling at the door frame. Rowan’s father was standing right outside the room, and this time Arya was able to see him as well.

“You really think that will be enough,” he said to Gendry. “You just freed me from the link, but I’m not going anywhere.” He tried to step inside the room and Nymeria immediately gave a step ahead and growled louder. He sneered and looked directly at Arya. “Kill the dog,” he commanded.

Arya inhaled, the itch hit her back, hard. She closed her hand and eyes as Gendry clutched her waist and she unleashed the stream of memories. She imagined them like moving posters forming a dome around her mind, protecting her and pushing away the dizziness and the itch.

Ned gifting her the first camera she ever had. Playing with her brothers when she was little. Puppy Nymeria running towards her with a big silly smile on her face. The first time Gendry kissed her. The feeling of him thrusting inside her, with his naked body against hers when they made love. The first time Gendry told her he loved her. Christmas dinner, the year she took Gendry to Winterfell to introduce him to her family. At least a dozen more moments where her heart felt whole.

Arya opened her eyes and looked back at the ghost. “No.” There was no doubt or hesitation on her voice.

The man pursed his lips with irritation, flickered and disappeared.

Arya exhaled, leaning on Gendry with relief. He pulled her closer, placing her head against his chest.

“You did it, love. You did it.”

Arya indulged herself a few moments in Gendry’s arms before raising her head. She smiled at him and Gendry could read the satisfaction on her face. “Saying ‘No’ to his face was worth the effort.”

Gendry kissed her forehead before letting go. They didn’t know how long they still had before Ursula came back; their affection would have to wait.

They kept looking for the powder until Gendry found a jar in the back of the second shelf. Arya took the book out to check if it was the same thing, it was.

“Step back with Nymeria, I don’t know how destructive this will be.”

Arya guided Nymeria to the other side of the room while Gendry drew the first line on the floor. He completed the rectangle, then took the man’s picture from the wall and smashed the glass against the wall.

Gendry pulled the picture to place it in the middle of the rectangle, then took the book to kneel down with it. He took one of the gloves off and placed his hand inside the frame. Gendry cleared his throat and carefully said the incantation. The rectangle started glowing red.

The man appeared again and this time, he was inside the room. The flickering was stronger, almost violent; he was trying to leave and couldn’t do it. “What are you doing? You can’t do that!” He yelled at Gendry.

He gave a step on Gendry’s direction and Nymeria charged. Arya tried to stop her but the sight in front of her stopped her in her tracks. Gendry had to make an effort to keep his hand where it was and not lose his balance.

Nymeria was biting the air… and the ghost. Her jaws were closing, but it took a fraction of a second more than it should have because she was biting the ghost as well. It was like watching a recording of Nymeria filmed over another similar recording, only they were not synced and you could see a spectral wolf doing something slightly different at the same time.

Gendry said the incantation once more and the rectangle started pulsing.

Nymeria was hurting the ghost. He was trying to defend himself but the wolf was overpowering him.

Everything was happening so fast, neither of them saw Ursula walking into the room. She tried to attack Nymeria and Arya pulled the bun on her head to stop her. Ursula’s body bent and Arya took the opportunity to pull her to the floor with her.

Ursula pushed Arya but after years of experience wrestling her brothers, she was more than prepared for such attack. Arya grabbed Ursula’s arm and twisted it to her back, immobilizing her on the floor while pushing her down with a knee.

“Aaggghhh!” Ursula complained.

Gendry finished the third round and quickly stood up to get to Nymeria, remembering what the book said about not standing in the way. He held the wolf’s neck trying to calm her down as the lines of the rectangle lighted like gunpowder, starting from where Gendry was and going in both directions to complete the portal in the other side.

Gendry moved Nymeria near the cabinet and held her there to make sure she was safe.

The floor inside the frame of the portal disappeared; replaced with deep darkness and the coldest current they ever felt.

The portal started dragging the ghost. The man fought, moving, flickering and screaming, but he couldn’t flee.

“Father!” Ursula yelled.

Then Rowan materialised at her father’s side. He looked at her just as she grabbed him and he looked scared. Rowan stepped into the portal and feel inside, dragging her father with her.

“No!” Ursula screamed. She twisted her own body and managed to break free from Arya. Ursula ran to the edge of the portal, kneeling to look down. The air coming from inside made her already messy hair look like a nest full of wasps. “Father, no!”

A hand suddenly came out of the portal, then a second one.

“Rowan, wait!” Ursula managed to exclaim before they caught a glimpse of Rowan’s head while she dragged her sister down with her as well.

Ursula’s screams faded as she fell down a place she would never be able to escape.

The portal remained open only for two or three more seconds, then the air stopped and the darkness disappeared. The frame of the rectangle lighted up again and the lines burned their way back to the spot where they started. Only this time they consumed what was left of the powder and left a scorched trail along the floor. Once the lines reached the end of their journey, the glow vanished.

Gendry ran to Arya, who was sitting on the floor next to the door, still looking at the remains of the portal.

“Arya!” She looked at him as he knelt down next to her. “Are you injured?”

She checked herself and when she looked at her hand she realised the red spot was gone. The poison she was carrying, whatever it was, disappeared along with the ghost. She showed Gendry with a smile. “I’m fine. I’m fine again. You?”

He returned the smile. “Fine as well.”

Nymeria approached and Arya hugged her again. “How are you girl?” The wolf’s response was licking her nose.

They stood up and were about to pick up their thing when the thin mist appeared again. Gendry immediately held Arya and called Nymeria to his side.

Rowan came out of the mist. There was no blood on her face anymore and her clothes and hair were clean. She was smiling and looked happy.

“Thank you, I can leave in peace now.” Her voice was soft and relaxed.

“Thank you, for all your help,” Gendry replied. He was truly grateful.

Rowan nodded and stepped back into the mist. A moment later she was gone, this time for good.

-/-/-

They filled the tank of the car before leaving the town and drove away. They didn’t stop, not even in the motel from the previous night. By the time Gendry closed their gate behind them and parked the car, the sky was already clear.

Their only stop downstairs was connecting the electricity again. The knives were still on the floor, the house was still a mess and they couldn’t care less.

They went upstairs and Nymeria sniffed around their room, there was nothing wrong. She walked out to go to her own room. Nymeria loved her humans with all her heart but the bad man and all that time in the car had left her with no energy. She needed her own bed. Nymeria curled with her blanket and was asleep even before the humans.

Arya and Gendry took turns to use their bathroom. Arya went first, then changed into one of Gendry’s t-shirts while he was inside. She was already under the blankets when Gendry opened the door. He undressed and got in the bed as well. Arya instinctively curled in his arms and he rested his head on hers. They didn’t even say good night or good morning. In about a minute both of them were asleep.

-/-/-

Two days later Gendry lighted another fire, this one planned and controlled. Arya came out of the house carrying the two books. She threw in the ghost’s book first and they watched it burn. Rowan’s book was next. Both stood there, holding each other until all the pages turned into ashes.

They had discussed the pros and cons of keeping the books. They agreed some of those spells could be helpful in some situations, but most of them were dangerous. In any case, none of them were qualified to use the books and didn’t want more trouble; they didn’t know what could be hidden inside.

-/-/-

A week after their return, they went to visit Ben. Gendry took a box with Ben’s jacket and the few personal items he left at the house. They sat down and told Ben the whole story. Gendry wanted to make sure he didn’t feel guilty about the jacket.

“Thank you for telling me boss.”

“I’m not your boss anymore, but you’re welcome to come back.”

Ben shook his head. “No boss, I don’t think I would be able to be alone in that office again.”

“I understand, and if you ever want to talk about what happened to you, we’re available.”

“I know boss. Thank you, for real. Maybe one day I will. And sorry for giving Greg your private number. I know you don’t like it, but I was still too freaked out to call myself.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

By the time they left, Ben looked way more relaxed. Gendry was glad they had the opportunity to explain everything and Arya told him later she thought Ben would be fine eventually.

-/-/-

A few days after they visited Ben, Arya checked the website where they found Ursula while they were sitting in the couch. Her add had been replaced by a note. Ursula was reported missing when she didn’t show up at the store for a couple of days after her break and the store was asking for any information that could lead to the safe return of their dear tarot reader.

Arya showed Gendry the note. He stared at it for a long moment before speaking. “I guess they will never find her and that’s a good thing.” He kissed Arya’s temple and put his arm around her shoulders. “This world is better without her.”

****

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading!!!
> 
> Please, let me know what you think about this story!
> 
> You can also find me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/incognitostarkbaratheon).


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